Paul Scholes: Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney wants “all the responsibility”

Wayne Rooney

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes believes Wayne Rooney needs to stop dropping deep if England are to get the best out of him at this summer’s World Cup, report the Independent.

The 28-year-old striker works extremely hard for the team and often leaves his attacking berth to help defend, but his former team mate believes the approach could prove to be detrimental to Roy Hodgson’s side.

“Wayne wants all the responsibility to score.

“He’ll try to play left back, right back. Sometimes he does that too much instead of saving himself and his energy for what his teams need – the ball in the net.

“He needs to use his energy more effectively now as he’s a player who likes to be up front on his own and I don’t think he’s great with partnerships,” he revealed.

The Three Lions forward joined up with England’s World Cup squad in Portugal after embarking on an individual training camp to ensure he is fully fit for the tournament and Scholes believes Hodgson should make it clear to Rooney what his role in the team is.

“To get the very best from Wayne in Rio, the manager needs to tell him: ‘Don’t bother running back. Stay up top. Stay centre-forward. Score goals. That’s your job in my team,’” Scholes insisted.

Rooney has failed to deliver on the world stage after a string of disappointing performances and he is now expected to step up to the plate as one of the senior members of the team.

Wayne Rooney has scored just one goal during international tournaments for England since Euro 2004. Barren.